The present invention relates to a locking element for connecting links of a high-tensile chain. More particularly, it relates to a locking element for connecting the chain links, which locking element has two locking members provided with engaging portions at ends thereof and connectable with one another by engagement of the respective end portions thereof.
Locking elements which connect the chain links and have two locking members engageable with one another have been proposed in the art. The known locking element has two substantially rectangular elongated locking members each having two mushroom-shaped end portions of a complementary configuration. The end portions of one of the locking members engage in and slide lengthwise of the respective end portions of the other locking member during their engagement with and disengagement from one another. In the known locking element the engaging end portions of the locking members are located in a common plane which coincides with the direction of elongation of the locking members. In such construction, during engagement and disengagement of the end portions of the locking members, that is during closing and opening of the locking element, the locking members move relative to one another in the above common plane. However, in this case they can move relative to one another for a substantially small distance until the chain links extending through an inner recess of the locking element, will interfere with and abut against one another. For this reason the length of the engaging end portions of the locking members and the cross-sectional area of the locking members in the regions of the end portions are limited to a dimension defined by a spacing of the chain and by a diameter of the chain links to be connected by the locking element. This dimension is the following: EQU L.sub.max. = t - 2d,
wherein
L.sub.max. -- is a maximum length of the engaging end portion of the locking member;
T -- IS A SPACING OF THE CHAIN; AND
D -- IS A DIAMETER OF THE CHAIN LINK.
It is understood that the above limitation constitutes an essential disadvantage of the known locking member.